Cueing and reviewing devices have been developed for tape recorders to allow the operator to search for a desired portion of the tape by manually holding the fast-forward key in its operative position while the playback key is being mechanically locked in its operative position, or by manually holding the rewind key while the recording key is mechanically locked in its operative position.
The automatic mode switching device for tape recorders is designed to supplant the operational features of the tape recorder by searching for an index signal recorded immediately ahead of the desired material such as music program while the tape is fed at a high speed. Responsive to detection of the index signal, the tape recorder is automatically switched to the playback mode to reproduce the recorded music. Some of the devices are also capable of automatically switching from a rewind mode which is effected after recording operation to the playback mode upon detection of the index signal. However, the mode switching devices of the prior art are unsatisfactory in terms of economy.